


It's finally safe for me to fall

by Rosesnfeathers, TrishArgh



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mention of abuse, Mentions of Sexual Assault, Mutual Pining, Sex Work, biker!Bucky, hooker!steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:07:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosesnfeathers/pseuds/Rosesnfeathers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishArgh/pseuds/TrishArgh
Summary: In the distance, he finally hears the roar of Bucky’s motorcycle getting closer and he steps out of his hideout. Bucky barely takes the time to turn the engine off and pulls the foot of  his bike before running towards Steve.He cups Steve's face and there is worry painted all over his expression as he takes in the state of his bruised lips and cheeks. “Oh baby, are you alright?” Bucky asks, and his voice shakes. Steve wants to cry for worrying him so much. Steve feels like he's on fire because it’s the first time Bucky had called him baby.“It hurts,” is all he manages to say really, because it just summarizes the whole thing. How much he hurts, inside and out.“We’ll go to the bathroom to clean you up a bit and then I’m taking you home with me, okay?”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 44
Kudos: 203





	It's finally safe for me to fall

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Trish little "office battle" with posters of a very sl*tty Crisp Heavens and a pretty long hair biker.
> 
> It's very fluffy, fluffier than what a hooker AU is suppose to be but, fluff is my brand so *shrugs* 
> 
> Hope you like it! :)

_“You stopped me in my tracks_

_And you put me in the right place_

_Used to think that loving_

_Meant a painful chase_

_But you’re here now_

_And I think you’ll stay”_

_-Halsey_

  
  


Steve is hiding behind the diner and he is freezing. He should go back inside and grab his jacket, but he is scared that _he_ is still there, waiting for him. He could be sitting in a booth, waiting for Steve to get back in, waiting to get him alone again.

Steve caves in and he calls Bucky. He hates that he got so scared that he ended up asking for his help. He hates how vulnerable and weak he feels in this moment, but he is so incredibly tired and his whole body hurts. His bottom lip is split open and he is starving. He knows some purple bruises are going to bloom all over his skin tomorrow, and he hates that too.

But right now, he stays in his hiding spot, trying to calm down and waiting for Bucky to show up.

Steve is not a small guy, he’s tall and well built and he can usually get by on his own and deal with difficult customers. But this one, he was big too, and he was stronger than Steve. He caught Steve on a bad night as well. He was already tired because of the start of a cold, and he hadn’t slept right the last few nights. His lumpy bed is too small, too empty. He needed the money, of course. He always needs it. That’s one of the main reasons he does what he does.

It’s why Steve spends his nights by this diner next to the highway, flirting with strangers and having sex with them for money.

But this particular customer, he had been rough with Steve from the very start, and when Steve tried to say no, when he tried to push him away and tell him that he didn’t like that, the man slapped him. He’d slapped him hard and fast and Steve’s bottom lip burst with the force of the impact. He saw stars instantly, and the man grabbed Steve by the neck before hitting him again. He tried pushing Steve against the cold wall of the building and began forcing his pants open. But thank God, someone came their way and asked what the hell was happening. 

It forced the man away from Steve, having been caught, and it gave him enough time to run away and hide. 

But now, he feels dirty with it. He feels completely terrible and his lip won’t stop bleeding; his whole face is hurting. His left eye is throbbing with pain and he can’t shake the feeling of those thick, dirty fingers around his neck, under his clothes.

So here he is, hiding outside in the freezing cold and calling Bucky. He’s wanted to call the man for days, anyway. He was just too stubborn to do so. Steve wasn’t ready before, to face all the things the Bucky was waking up inside of him.

Bucky Barnes is a biker, and he lives in a town nearby. He stops by the diner probably once a week. He understood with just one look, what Steve was doing there. Steve remembers the way he walked towards him the very first night. How he did it with so much confidence, without a care in the world that everyone in the restaurant was looking at them. Didn’t hesitate at the fact thateveryone could guess what Bucky wanted from Steve.

But they never would have guessed right and Steve certainly hadn’t. 

Bucky asked for his name, and he bought him dinner. _That’s all_. He asked him, “Hey Buddy, what do you want to eat? It’s on me.”

Bucky mostly did all the talking the first night, like he knew Steve probably wasn’t comfortable sharing his own life stories with a complete stranger. Steve accepted Bucky’s food, because let’s be honest, he was starving and he discovered pretty quickly how hard it was to say no to those pretty grey eyes.

Steve remembers how he couldn’t stop staring at Bucky that first night. He was instantly fascinated by him. He remembers the way Bucky was dressed in leather pants, and a leather jacket too. Underneath was a bright red band shirt. His leather boots were unlaced, and around his neck was a pretty silver necklace with a star pendant. He had a few big silver rings as well. His left hand was covered with a rose tattoo. He thought Bucky looked so incredibly sexy, and so out of his league.

Steve thought (hoped) that Bucky would ask for more after dinner, but still, he didn’t. He squeezed at Steve's shoulder, and told him to be careful before leaving on his bike, the sound of it vibrating from Steve’s toes all the way up to his heart.

Bucky kept stopping by every week after that. He bought Steve some food sometimes, even bringing homemade stuff he cooked himself. He always just sat with Steve and talked. Steve started to open up a bit more, talking about himself too. He told Bucky about his shitty day job that didn’t pay enough for him to afford his rent. He told Bucky he started to do _that_ too. It was easy money and he was hot enough to have lots of regular truckers stop by just for a fun time with him. 

Bucky wasn’t judging him, never judging him. He just listened, nodding his head and giving him smiles, soft and warm.

One day, Bucky asked about love, and Steve scoffed with anger because, “Yeah, I don’t believe in that anymore.”

“Why’s that?” Bucky asked him in his soft spoken voice. 

Steve talked about previous relationships, about abuse, and toxic boyfriends. About always ending up with his heart shattered by them, so he just stopped trying. Meaningless sex was more than enough for him. And he was earning money with it so, best of both worlds.

“But it’s so much better, to make love to someone, to share something special with them,” Bucky told him, smiling. Steve thought about those words for a whole week after that. Even cried himself to sleep more than once, because he understood what Bucky meant, but he didn’t believe he was worth it anymore. He stopped believing anyone in their right mind would pick _him_ . Stopped believing _Bucky_ would want him...

He was just a broken-hearted hooker, selling his body to truckers by the highway.

And Bucky, he gave him a cheap phone, said it was one of his older ones anyway. He told Steve he would feel better knowing that he could call for help if something happened to him. Bucky also kept leaving his jackets and sweaters behind when he noticed Steve was just in a thin t-shirt in the October cold. Steve wore them to sleep, surrounded by Bucky’s spicy scent. 

Then, quite naturally, they started to text and call each other between Bucky’s visits. 

Steve tried to flirt with him, tried to tease him a bit. But Bucky was always a gentleman. He would smile at Steve, flirt back a little, but he never made a single move to show that he was also interested in Steve. At least not like that. Steve managed to make him blush a few times, with his lewd suggestions, but every single time, Bucky just shook his head and smiled, like he thought Steve was just being cute.

Steve even sent him sexy pictures once, because he was going insane with Bucky’s good guy persona. Steve wanted him, he wanted him so bad, and right in that moment he wanted Bucky to stop playing hard to get. 

He ended up a bit tipsy with his last client, and boldly decided to send Bucky a sexy picture of himself. Because the truth is, Steve ended up _really_ liking Bucky. And for the very first time in what seemed to be forever, Steve wanted someone. Really wanted them, for him and his own needs instead of for money. 

With that lewd picture, Steve thought he would finally get Bucky to lose his composure and just jump on his bike and finally get there and fuck him senseless… But his reply was _“You’re beautiful, Steve.”_

Steve went to sleep that night with blue balls, sure, but with happy tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips. 

That happened a few nights ago, and he hasn't slept much since, because he can’t stop thinking about it. About how warm and safe it makes him feel, when Bucky compliments him, when he smiles at him, when he cares about him.

Steve really wants to quit this hooker thing. He wants to get another job, one that will allow him to be worthy of Bucky, maybe. He knows that sex work, for some people, isn’t a bad thing. Some people really enjoy it, and have a good life with it. But he has reached the point where it’s not enough. It doesn’t make him feel good, because he wants someone else. Those hands on him, they are never the ones he really wants, nor are the lips he kisses. 

So he keeps thinking, and counting money in his head figuring out how he could afford it. He can’t stop thinking of other places he could apply to. Of moving out of his shitty apartment, too.

So that’s why tonight, his mind wasn’t into it. That’s why he was so damn tired, why he let himself go with a customer that he shouldn’t have. He regrets it so much.

In the distance, he finally hears the roar of Bucky’s motorcycle getting closer and he steps out of his hideout. Bucky barely takes the time to turn the engine off and pulls the foot of his bike before running towards Steve.

He cups Steve's face and there is worry painted all over his expression as he takes in the state of his bruised lips and cheeks. “Oh baby, are you alright?” Bucky asks, and his voice shakes. Steve wants to cry for worrying him so much. Steve feels like he's on fire because it’s the first time Bucky had called him _baby_.

“It hurts,” is all he manages to say really, because it just summarizes the whole thing. How much he hurts, inside and out.

“We’ll go to the bathroom to clean you up a bit and then I’m taking you home with me, okay?”

Steve only nods and then Bucky wraps one of his arms around Steve’s waist and they walk slowly towards the diner’s bathroom. One of the waitresses gives them a sad smile, but she does knock at the bathroom door a few moments later to lend them the first aid kit. 

Bucky softly cleans Steve’s bottom lip, and there must be a cut on his brow as well, because he feels the cold wipe rubbing at his forehead too. “I thought that with all those muscles you have, you were strong enough to fight back, sweetheart. What happened?”

“I said no, he caught me by surprise and slapped me. Haven’t eaten or slept much lately…. I don’t feel so well...”

It makes Bucky stop and he softly holds onto Steve’s chin with steady fingers and lifts his head up. Their eyes meet, and Bucky looks so sad. It’s like he wants to say something, but instead he sighs and shakes his head, going back to cleaning up Steve’s wounds. 

“You’re coming home with me,” he says a second time. 

He throws the little wipes in the trash and rubs some ointment on Steve’s lip and also on his brow. He looks conflicted for a moment, still looking intently at Steve’s face, and he leans down, brushing his lips high on Steve’s cheekbones. “Come on, I brought a spare helmet, you need to sleep it off.”

They walk back out of the bathroom, Bucky stopping to thank the waitress and Steve hears the way she tells Bucky to take care of him, and how Bucky replies that he will with so much conviction it makes Steve’s heart squeeze painfully inside of his chest.

They get on Bucky’s bike, Bucky carefully putting the helmet on Steve’s head, avoiding any bruised area as he does. Steve wraps his arm around Bucky’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder too, and they start riding down the dark road, the vibration of the bike almost lulling Steve to sleep. 

They drive for almost half an hour until they reach the next town over. They go down a few roads before turning into a quiet neighborhood, and then Bucky finally turns left on a road leading to a trailer park. Bucky stops his bike at the very last one on the left and Steve smiles at it. It’s well taken care of, there’s even flowers and plants in front of it. There is also a little patio area that was added to it, fairy lights brightening it up.

“It’s not much, but it’s mine,” Bucky says as they both get off the bike. He takes care of removing the helmet from Steve’s head again and Steve shivers as Bucky’s long fingers brush against his neck. Bucky misinterprets the reason for Steve’s goosebumps because he rubs his hand up and down Steve’s arms and says, “You can take a shower, it will warm you up.”

When they get inside Bucky’s trailer, Steve feels instantly at home. It feels warm and lived in, and nothing like his own shitty apartment. There’s little kids' drawings on his fridge and there’s family pictures in the living room as well. There’s a few dirty cups and plates by the sink as well, and it feels like a real home, and Steve wants that so bad. 

Bucky takes his boots off and hangs his jacket on the little hooks by the door, and Steve does the same. Steve feels a bit awkward standing there in the middle of Bucky’s home, but as always, Bucky looks nothing but comfortable and in control. “The bathroom is at the end of the corridor. I’ll find you some clothes that might fit you, I’ll see if I can find stuff that’s a bit big on me,” he says and gives Steve a once over. 

Steve knows that he is mostly taking in Steve’s size more than anything else, but it still brings color to his cheeks. 

Steve makes his way to the bathroom and he smiles at Bucky’s toothbrush standing proudly in the little cup by the sink, as it’s a bright pink. He grabs a clean towel and wets it with lukewarm water, rubbing at his face, avoiding the wounds as best as he can. It feels good. He felt like his face was still dirty with blood and tears.

Bucky knocks softly on the door frame. He’s holding a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a grey faded t-shirt. “I um… Didn’t know how you felt on the underwear situation, I brought some but you know… Would you like socks too?” Bucky asks and for the first time he looks like he's lost a bit of his usually confident demeanor. 

“No socks, I’m good. Thanks, Bucky,” Steve says, taking the clothes from Bucky’s hand and putting them on the closed toilet lid. Bucky shows him where the big towels are, and he tells Steve he can take as much soap and shampoo as he wants, before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Steve gets under the hot spray of the shower and takes his sweet time soaping himself up and down. When he pours a good amount of Bucky’s shampoo in his palm, he closes his eyes and breathes it in. He loves the way Bucky’s hair smells and as he rubs it into his scalp, it’s almost like the other man is in the shower with him.

He emerges from the bathroom to find Bucky at the stove. It looks like he is heating up some soup, and it smells like warm bread as well. Bucky turns around to look at Steve. The clothes are okay, the t-shirt is a bit tight around his shoulders but apart from that everything fits just right. 

Bucky looks at him in a way he never did before. It’s not like he's seeing Steve for the first time, no; it’s more like he’s allowing himself to finally look freely, like there’s no walls between them anymore. He swallows thickly but he keeps his eyes steady on Steve’s. “You look pretty nice in my clothes, Rogers.”

He turns back to the soup on the stove, and it smells so good, not like the canned brands from the grocery store - this smells like homemade soup.

“Did you make that?” Steve asks, sitting at the kitchen table and looking at Bucky’s back. He looks quickly over his shoulder and shakes his head, “Nah, it’s my mom’s. Put a frozen loaf of bread in the oven too. Thought you might be hungry once all the adrenaline goes down.”

And yes, after everything, Steve feels like he is starving. He eats two bowls of soup and many slices of warm bread while Bucky simply looks at him from the other side of the table with a fond little smile on his full lips. 

Once Steve is done eating, he helps Bucky with washing the few plates and bowls in the cramped little kitchen and it’s so domestic, Steve wants to do it every single day for the rest of his life. He feels so incredibly sleepy and when he looks up at the tiny clock on Bucky’s stove he realizes it’s 3 am.

He can’t contain his yawn and it makes Bucky laugh at him. “Yeah, let’s get you to bed.” 

Bucky grabs at the hem of Steve’s shirt and brings him to his bedroom. Steve’s heartbeat gets faster as they approach the room. Bucky’s bed is still unmade, like he left in a hurry. Steve knows he did; that when he called, Bucky was probably already asleep. Bucky grabs at what looks like his own pyjamas and then turns around to leave to room, “I’ll let you sleep then. I’ll be on the couch.”

“No,” Steve says, and he stops Bucky before he gets out of the bedroom. He wraps his fingers around Bucky’s wrist and then slides them down to his fingers and squeezes them, “Stay with me, please.”

“Are you sure?” Bucky says. “With what happened tonight I don’t want to, I don’t know, take advantage of you.”

“Bucky,” and Steve turns him around to face him fully, taking a step closer and looking into Bucky’s grey eyes. He takes in all the genuine worry in them, and it makes something warm and thick spread inside of him. “Especially after what happened, I’d like to be held by someone I trust. You should know by now that… That you’re not… That I like you?”

Bucky nods once, and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath and when he opens them again, he leans closer and leaves a lingering kiss on Steve’s cheek. It’s the most intimate gesture Steve's received in a very, very long time.

“I know sweetheart. I like you too. So much. But… I don’t want you to think that… I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything, okay? I’m doing this because I care, and I want you to be safe, you get that?”

Steve only nods because it’s like he can’t speak suddenly. It’s like the words are stuck in his throat, and his eyes are burning. But he nods and presses his forehead to Bucky's. He smiles when he feels Bucky’s warm lips against his cheek for a second time, when Bucky’s fingers intertwine with his own.

“Come on, get to bed. I’ll be there in a moment.”

He hears Bucky walking around the trailer, turning all the lights off, turning the lock on the front door. He does a quick stop in the bathroom, and finally he slips in the bed right next to Steve. He does it like it’s the most natural thing in the world; and he gets closer and wraps an arm around Steve’s torso. He doesn’t hold too strongly, no. Just enough for Steve to feel safe, to bask in the wonderful warmth of Bucky’s body behind him. He grabs at Bucky’s hand and feels his lips stretch into a smile against the back of Steve’s neck.

And just like that, Steve falls asleep.

  
  


***

  
  


When Steve wakes up the next morning, he feels incredibly warm and comfortable in a way he can’t remember ever feeling before. There’s an arm wrapped around his middle, the hand of it heavily tattooed. He can feel Bucky’s soft breath against the back of his neck. He can also feel something hard against his backside and it makes him well aware of his own hard-on. His heart starts beating hard and fast and arousal fills his veins so quick, his whole body getting warm with it. 

He wants to push back against Bucky, he wants him so badly. He just wants to rub against Bucky, he wants to feel his arm tighten around his waist, he wants to feel Bucky’s breath quicken and he wants to hear him moan. He wants, wants, wants.

Bucky does wake up, like Steve’s internal turmoil is what pulled him from his deep sleep. He inhales Steve’s scent and he pulls Steve’s body tighter against his chest. Steve’s brain completely stops functioning at that. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Bucky whispers against the skin of Steve’s neck, his chapped lips almost kissing. Bucky’s voice is rough with sleep, low and deep and it’s enough for Steve to feel like he’s falling in love with him all over again. Steve only nods, not trusting his own voice.

Bucky’s hand starts rubbing comforting circles over Steve’s stomach, above his shirt. He plays with the hem of it, slipping the tips of his fingers under it, teasing at the skin there, thumb dancing over his hip bone, “Are you feeling better?”

Steve manages to croak a single “Yeah” and this time, Bucky leaves a kiss on the side of his neck, rubbing his nose against Steve’s jawline and humming happily at that. His fingers, still under Steve’s shirt, go higher up his stomach, when in reality, Steve wants Bucky’s attention much lower than that. 

“Do you like that?” Bucky asks, as he keeps kissing at Steve’s throat, his hard cock now pressed in the cleft of Steve’s cheeks through his thin boxers. “I don’t wanna do anything you don’t want, especially after what happened last night...”

Steve grabs at Bucky’s hand and he feels the way it makes him stiffen, like he’s scared he did too much. But before Bucky can roll over and away from him, Steve pushes the hand lower, past the elastic band of his underwear and right over his cock. 

“If you don’t touch me now, Buck, I’m gonna catch on fire.”

Bucky chuckles and uses his arm to turn Steve around instead. He pulls Steve towards him so they are facing each other and he pushes a leg between Steve’s and presses his thigh right against Steve’s cock as he rolls his hips once.

“And if I don’t kiss you right now, I might go insane, morning breath be damned.”

He presses his fingers under Steve’s chin and brings him closer in a kiss. It starts soft at first, and they both sigh happily into it. Steve finally slides his fingers into Bucky’s long strands of hair and it’s so soft, just like he thought it would be. While Bucky’s scruff is burning at his face and lips in the most delicious way, the rest of him is so soft, so warm. Steve pulls him closer, keeping his hand buried in Bucky’s dark hair, and his other one goes to the small of Bucky’s back, pulling him closer and closer until their hard cocks starts rubbing together, following the rhythm of their hungry mouths.

Bucky moans, loud and wanton and it’s like he’s taken aback by his own desire because he pulls away from Steve’s mouth, trying to still his hips as well. “We could... we should go slow, I don’t wanna... “ he stops and he shakes his head. He grabs at Steve’s face and with his stormy grey eyes locked on Steve’s blue ones he says, “You’re so important to me, Steve, I need you to know that. This… This is _important_.”

Steve swallows, hard, because _fuck_ , it’s so important for him too. He used to say that he was done with this. That he didn’t believe in love anymore, and yet, he’s fallen head over heels for Bucky. There was no choice but to fall, to let himself feel all the things Bucky brought out in him. 

“Bucky, of course this is important,” he says before bringing him into another heated kiss. He tries, because words are failing him, to convey through that kiss, how serious it is really, how Bucky is just everything right now.

Bucky kisses back, with just as much want, biting at Steve’s bottom lip as he slides his hands down Steve’s back until they are at his ass, slipping beneath the fabric of his underwear; grabs a handful and pulling him closer, pulling him so their cocks are rubbing deliciously together. Steve feels the tip of his cock getting wet, feels it soaking through his boxers.

Bucky pushes his own sweatpants down with a frustrated sound, until his hard cock springs free, and does the same with Steve’s pants. He spits into his hand, grabbing both of them in his big palm. Steve can feel the coolness of his silver rings against his cock and he loves it so much. Loves that it’s Bucky’s hands on him, finally. Bucky rolls back and pulls Steve with him, until he's halfway on top of him, until his face is pressed into Bucky’s throat and he can’t help the moan tumbling from his lips. Until he can’t help but to roll his hips into Bucky’s strong grip.

Bucky’s other hand comes around and goes to his ass, teasing between his cheeks and _oh_.

“You’re so pretty, Stevie, you’re so good for me,” Bucky tells him, breathing hard and fast, his own hips bucking against Steve’s as their cocks slide together. Steve feels like his skin is on fire feels the sweat rolling down his back. They haven't been at it for long but Bucky’s voice, and his words... It’s enough to make him crazy with want. 

“I want to make you feel good, baby, you deserve it so much, let me make you feel good,” Bucky says and his fingers go lower, now teasing at Steve’s hole. It clenches around nothing, begging to be filled. His hips stutter against Bucky and Steve comes, spilling all over Bucky’s stomach and both of their cocks . It doesn’t take much for Bucky. He keeps jerking off, his fingers still covered in Steve’s come. He quickly reaches his own orgasm, Steve’s name on his lips.

They breathe hard and fast for a few seconds, still holding onto each other, their bodies sticky with sweat and come. But Steve doesn’t want to let go. Nothing feels better than Bucky’s body against his own, the smell of him, the hardness of his muscles under Steve’s fingers. The feeling of his silky smooth hair sticking to Steve’s cheeks.

Steve dares to look up, and he can’t help the smile taking over his features as he meets Bucky’s eyes. He pulls him in for another kiss, this one sleepy and slow and so sweet. He takes his time to lick inside of Bucky’s mouth and memorize all the little sounds he can drag out of Bucky just with his mouth.

He loves the way Bucky’s hips rock upwards like he’s already good to go again when Steve bites teasingly at his bottom lip. Loves the way Bucky groans when Steve’s fingers go to the base of his neck and pull at his sweaty hair. 

“Do you still hurt?” Bucky asks him, his fingers hovering above Steve’s brows for a moment, looking at his split lip as well. Steve shakes his head, too distracted by the way Bucky looks after sex, and just goes to kiss him again. It makes Bucky chuckle against his lips before kissing back with just as much enthusiasm.

“I think you need another shower,” Bucky says against Steve’s lips, kissing down at his throat. They both do, Steve thinks, feeling the way their stomachs are sticky with come. “Wanna join me this time?” Steve asks, biting playfully at Bucky’s bottom lip. Bucky only nods, his eyes never leaving Steve’s, his hands running down his sides like he can’t stop touching him now that he started. 

They finally make their way to Bucky’s tiny bathroom and they giggle once they get under the spray because the shower is way too small for the both of them. They soap each other up, stopping way too often to steal kisses and catch a feel of the other’s ass. They stay in until the water goes lukewarm and they have to get out. Steve feels his heart right up to his throat as Bucky takes care in towelling him dry. He’s so tender and careful and Steve feels so safe under Bucky’s hands.

Once they get dressed, Bucky kisses Steve, whispering how much he loves him in his clothes, before they move to the kitchen to make a bit of breakfast. Steve tries to help as best as he can but he knows very well how much of a disaster he is in a kitchen.

Once they’re seated with warm buttered toast, scrambled eggs and crispy bacon, Steve finally says what’s been on his mind since he fell asleep in Bucky’s arms. “I wanna quit.”

Bucky stops mid chew to look up at Steve, a small smile on his lips. “You don’t have to stop for me, Steve. I know what you do for a living.”

“I know but… “ Steve looks down at his eggs, searching for words. “I never liked it, really, and last night…what happened, I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t wanna put my life in danger and… I don’t think I could sleep with other people. If we’re… You know.”

Bucky reaches between them and grabs at Steve’s hand, squeezing softly. “If we’re together?” and there is a hint of hope in his words. It makes Steve smile.

“Yeah…”

“You do whatever it takes for you to be happy Stevie, I’m not going anywhere. If you want I can put in a word for you at the garage, I know they’re looking for someone to hold the front desk.”

“You would do that?”

“Of course. You know how to work with a computer right? Plus, with that smile of yours people will fake car trouble just to get an appointment with us ,” he adds with a wink and it makes a warm blush spread over Steve’s cheeks. Bucky laughs when he notices.

They keep eating their breakfast in silence, their ankles touching under the table. When they wash the dishes later, Steve admits that he would like that, working at the garage, that he would like to try. Bucky wraps an arm around Steve’s shoulder and pulls him closer, he presses a kiss to his temple, and then to his cheek. 

“Why did you wait so long?” Steve asks. Bucky understands instantly, what Steve is asking. Why did it take Bucky so long to kiss him, to touch him, to get to him the way Steve really wanted to?

“‘Cause I had to gain your trust first. Had to make you understand I was there for the long run, and that I was not like all those guys who came into your life demanding all those things from you. I had to wait for you to understand I wanted to give you everything.”

Steve’s words are stuck in his throat again, because it’s true. If Bucky had made a move the very first night, they wouldn’t be here right now. And Steve is grateful for that. He leans in and kisses Bucky, trying to put all of his feelings into the simple press of his lips.

It must work, because Bucky smiles and kisses back with all he has.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Halsey's Finally // Beautiful Stranger   
> Thanks to all the betas I had on this one, Trish and Eva and Steph and MJ
> 
> You can find me on twitter where I also am rosesnfeathers.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Fanart] for It's finally safe for me to fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24612223) by [TrishArgh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishArgh/pseuds/TrishArgh)




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